Lots of abandoned harness and tack to part out!

[Mitch]

Hey all. I am cleaning out a barn for a neighbor which has a tack room FULL of abandoned light mule and draft horse/mule harnesses and associated tack from the previous owner who gave up his mules sometime in the early 90s and has since passed on. The door has been shut on this room for about 20 years and sadly all the harnesses, bridles, etc are basically ruined (leather rotted beyond safe use). There’s at least two sets of light horse harness and two sets of big draft harness, western style it looks like. Still a lot of good heavy hardware on this stuff (not all shiny, but functional) as well as lots of hook type trace and heel chain, chain binder-type hame straps, Ds, neck yoke snaps, a few good sets of work hames, a couple salvageable collars, some of the heavier leather components look ok if you looked over the stitching (tugs, belly bands, billets). I browse this forum often and have heard some of you mention that you take certain hardware elements when you find abandoned harness so I want to channel this stuff to someone who may put some of it to use.

This guy was a real old school teamster and it looks like he was putting some large mule hitches together for farm work. There are some real curiosities and farm made ‘get-r-dun’ stuff here too, some of it cruel looking – side pull halters, stud chains, lots of severe bits like high port cavalry bits with wire wrapped around the bar, bike chain bits

Anyway, it’s all in Haymarket, Virginia which is quite far from most on this forum but please try to think of anything that you could need that I might find amongst this stuff and let me know. I’ll be pulling this stuff out of the barn to look at it in the sunlight over the next couple days and can respond to inquiries more specifically soon. I can cut off any hardware or harness parts you want, or anything else I have here and mail it to you for cost of shipping + maybe a cup of coffee. Its more stuff than I’ll ever use and dont want it to go to the landfill. I’ll try to get some photos up soon.

Best regards,
Mitch
(540) nine zero five 5765 (cell phone)

[Mitch]

There’s lots of cool stuff here. Use your imagination and ask away.

[jen judkins]

@Mitch 30843 wrote:

There’s lots of cool stuff here. Use your imagination and ask away.

Some photos would be good.

[Cameron Littlejohn]

When you come across the hames measure them and let us know what size they are please. Thank ya

[Billy Foster]

I am in the market for evener hardware to make up a 2 horse evener.

Billy Foster
West Poland Maine

[Mitch]

@Billy Foster 30859 wrote:

I am in the market for evener hardware to make up a 2 horse evener.

Billy Foster
West Poland Maine

LittleJohn, what size hames are you looking for? I will take a look and get some measurements. There are maybe 2-3 pairs of metal hames and maybe 8 pairs of steel banded wooden hames. I will measure any wooden ones that look like they’re still sound. also a couple pairs of pony carriage hames which are probably junk. are you also looking for any collars?

Billy, if I understand you right, you just want the iron hardware and you will supply fresh wood to build your own? Im pretty sure I’ve got everything here. I’ll check this evening.

I’ll also try to get some photos of everything.

[Billy Foster]

Yes I would be making new wooden eveners and using the old hardware. let me know what you have, maybe a picture of the parts?

Thanks
Billy

[Cameron Littlejohn]

I need a set of 30 inch hames but 28 may possibly work thank ya for checking

[Cameron Littlejohn]

Yea. I could use another collar but I need a 28 inch one or I can use a 29 with a pad let me know what size they are.

[Bill Doyle]

You said there were old bits wraped with wire…??? I’m always looking for old school bits like that for wall hangers. sounds interesting. Wish you weren’t so far ! I guess it wouldn’t cost much to ship some bits.

---

Bill

[Kyle]

Hi Mitch.
Has someone already claimed the chain binder type hames straps? I would definitely take those if they are available. I would also take 2 sets of the hook traces and the neck yoke snaps if there are any left. Any smaller collars? 21 or 22?

[Robert MoonShadow]

I’m looking for small singletrees ( maybe 24″ or so) and an evener for a donkey team…maybe just the hardware could be adapted, if none are small enough. Any harness parts that size would be nice, too.

[Brandon Shaffer]

Do you have any of the bits left?

[Barw]

I would take any 20″ collars and wooden hames to fit for a team of mules.

[menageriehill]

I could use some rings for use with pack saddle. Still no pictures ?

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